Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I thank the Leader and Senator Callanan for their timely intervention on the single farm payment issue, which I raised last week. They used their good offices to influence the Minister for Agriculture and Food to ensure cheques were paid on time.

Inishowen is sometimes mentioned in the negative because of road tragedies and job losses, of which there have been 4,000 in the past six years. These are major stories but a major positive in the area is a company called Forward Emphasis, which is based at Malin Head, north Inishowen. The company employs 120 people at a call centre. Yesterday, its management expressed grave concerns and stated the provision of broadband will determine whether the company can survive. It made a strong plea for the provision of an adequate broadband infrastructure in north Inishowen.

I am seeking a more equitable strategy in the provision of broadband technology so that Inishowen will be covered. Broadband is provided haphazardly in County Donegal but we should try to retain companies in north Inishowen which are trying to survive in spite of a lack of telecommunications and transport services. For example, no road in Inishowen was mentioned in Transport 21, which is an aspirational plan. Inishowen has a population of 40,000 and it has suffered significant job losses. The region is trying to overcome inadequate services. I seek a debate on the lack of telecommunications and transport provision in peripheral areas.